Sunday, April 03, 2022

A judicial system that acts with integrity


Someone said that there is no separation of power between the judicial and political system in China.
He implied that every judicial decision is made by the communist party.
He should just use his common sense.
With a population of 1.3 billion, I expect that the judicial system will have to deal with 1 million cases a year - mostly ordinary, but maybe a few that is high profile.
Can the communist party influence all of these decisions?
Such political interference cannot work.
I expect that nearly all the judicial decisions are made according to the written law and by judges that act with integrity.
I expect the quality of the judicial decisions to be as good as, or even better than the western countries.
Maybe, a small number of high profile cases in China may be politically influenced.
China will not be alone in this matter. This will also apply to the western countries.
President Trump of America spent a lot of his energy in stacking up the Supreme Court with conservative judges, rather than liberal judges. I consider that this is similar to political influence.
I find it deplorable that some people can smear China in a senseless manner. They should be more objective. They should check the facts before giving a biased or outdated opinion.

Saturday, April 02, 2022

WOTC - Teach problem solving skills

Wisdom of the Crowd: 80% of the respondents said that we should give more emphasis to teaching the skills of problem solving in our schools. 8% said that this is already being done.

 https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2574

Thursday, March 31, 2022

WOTC - Price control over essential products.

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 88% of the respondents said that a government agency should be tasked to ensure that prices are reasonable, allowing for the cost, rental and margin.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

WOTC - Should PM Lee continue for another 5 years?

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 82% of the respondents said that PM Lee should step down as soon as possible. He should not continue to hold this office for another 5 years.

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Buy or rent a house

Is it better to buy or rent a house?

I offer a new concept - 10 year lease.

WOTC - China can help to find a peaceful solution

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 76% of the respondents said that China should use its good relations with Russia and Ukraine to find a peaceful solution to their conflict.


Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Is it safe to open the border to fully vaccinated travelers?
2. Will you travel to Johore after the border opens?
3. Will PAP stand a chance to win back Sengkang by fielding a new team?
4. Was it wise for the Singapore ministers to visit US at this time?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Monday, March 28, 2022

WOTC - Warning by US

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 77% of the respondents said that China should ignore the warning by US against helping Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

Sunday, March 27, 2022

WOTC - Countries to migrate to

 Wisdom of the Crowd: The respondents said that they prefer to migrate to China (40%), Malaysia (25%), Australia (23%), if they have to leave Singapore.

Saturday, March 26, 2022

WOTC - China

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 86% of the respondents said that the China government is not a repressive regime.

Thursday, March 24, 2022

China's dispute with neighboring countries over South China Sea

China has disputes with neighboring countries over South China Sea. The neighboring countries viewed China as acting like a bully over this dispute as China is powerful economically and militarily.


I wish to suggest the following approach for China to resolve this dispute.

WOTC - Donbas and Crimea regions

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 92% of the respondents expect the Donbas and Crimea regions to reunite with Russia or be independent of Ukraine.


Wednesday, March 23, 2022

WOTC - Ukraine war

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 51% of the respondents expect the Ukraine war to be settled within the next few weeks.


Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues


1. Should we implement price control over essential products
2. Should President Putin be charged for war crimes?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

How to solve a problem

 I apply the following approach to solve a problem:

1. Look at the problem holistically.
2. Break the problem down into distinct parts
3. Identify the parts that can be solved, based on past knowledge and experience.
4. Carry out trial on the other parts and find the possible solution
5. Put them together.

I am usually able to find a complete solution to the problem.

This is how I solve a tangram puzzle as well.
It worked perfectly.
I can solve a difficult tangram puzzle using this approach.

WOTC - View on democracy

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 65 % of participants prefer to have a system that ensures that honest and competent people are elected into the government, rather than to keep changing the government and see no progress.


Monday, March 21, 2022

WOTC - Censorship

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 58% of the respondents preferred non-censorship of all social media content.

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Investing in China stocks in Hong Kong

 Someone asked me.

If he buys China stocks in Hong Kong, it will be paid in HKD which is pegged to pegged to USD. If USD falls in the future, would it affect the stocks that are in HKD? Is it better to invest in China stocks in Shanghai in CNY which is likely to be stronger than USD?

Use of SPAC for listing of a company

 Someone asked me to explain the use of a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) to take over a company that wants to be listed, e.g. Grab, Property Guru.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues


1. Should China heed US warning on helping Russia?
2. Should China help to resolve the Ukraine crisis?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Sanctions on Russia

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 78% of respondents disagree with the decision taken by Singapore's government to impose sanctions on Russia.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues



1. Which country would you prefer to migrate to, if you have to leave Singapore

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Performance of large cap US stocks

 The large cap US stocks performed relatively well during the past month compared to US growth stocks and China stocks..

Investing my spare cash

 I have $47,000 cash in my SRS account and $69,000 cash in my POEMS account. The total is $116,000 SGD.


As some good value stocks had dropped over 10% during the past month, I decided to invest the cash in these stocks:

SRS
H78 - Hong Kong Land, dropped by 14.01%

Poems
0386 - China Petroleum, dropped by 17.02%
2866 - Cosco Ship Development, dropped by 18.39%

I have covered these stocks in my earlier posts. They have large capitalization, low price earning ratio and good dividend yield.

I find these stocks to be attractive due to the drop of over 10% during the past month.

Note - I am sharing my personal investment decision. I am not giving investment advice.

Performance of China stocks under TKL watchlist

 I monitor the China stocks shown in the watch list below. I invested in most (but not all) of the stocks in the past, and still hold many of them now. However, I have sold some of the stocks completely, but still keep them in the watch list.


The stocks showed an average drop of 18.89% over the past 12 months, 22.22% over the past six months, 19.48% over the past 1 month and 8.98% over the past 5 days.
I monitor the China stocks shown in the watch list below. I invested in most (but not all) of the stocks in the past, and still hold many of them now. However, I have sold some of the stocks completely, but still keep them in the watch list.

The stocks showed an average drop of 18.89% over the past 12 months, 22.22% over the past six months, 19.48% over the past 1 month and 8.98% over the past 5 days.

WOTC - President Zelensky of Ukraine

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 67% of the respondents consider President Zelensky of Ukraine to be a clown and stooge of the western powers.

Performance of US stocks on TKL watchlist

 I monitor the US stocks shown in the watch list below. I have investment in most (but not all) of the stocks in the past, and still hold many of them now. However, I have sold some of the stocks completely, but still keep them in the watch list.


The stocks showed an average drop of 47.54% over the past 12 months, 44.61% over the past six months, 1809% over the past 1 month and 5.93% over the past 5 days.

Monday, March 14, 2022

WOTC: NATO open door policy

59% of the respondents said that a country should not enter into a military alliance that is a threat to a neighboring country.

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues


1. What is the likely outcome of the Ukraine war?
2. What will happen to the Donbas region and Crimea after the Ukraine war ends?
3. What will happen to the Russian economy?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Saturday, March 12, 2022

WOTC - Ukraine crisis

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 80% of the respondents said that America is responsible for the Ukraine crisis.

Friday, March 11, 2022

Review of Aquabounty (AQB)

 I make this review of my "terrible" investment in Aquabounty (AQB).

Time to review sick leave benefit in employment act

 There is controversy about the company policy on giving sick leave with a medical certificate.

Under the current employment act, the employer has to give 12 days of sick leave with pay, but with a medical certificate.
This is a practice that existed for several decades.
It is subject to abuse. Some workers know where they can find a doctor that gives a medical certificate easily. They use their full entitlement of 12 days.
The government now wants employers to allow sick leave without medical certificate, due to the covid pandemic. Some employers are reluctant.
We should address the root of this problem. The requirement to give sick leave, as set out in the employment act, is outdated.
In America, it has been a long standing practice for the employer to allow 3 or 5 days of sick leave, without the need for a certificate. If the worker is not well, he stays at home and receives full pay.
This is a better arrangement. The worker should be paid well, but he should be responsible for his own health. He should not be sick at the expense of the employer.

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues


1. Who is most suitable to be the next PM of Singapore

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Russia invades Ukraine

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 75% of the respondents said that Russia invaded Ukraine as it has a legitimate security concern that is ignored by NATO.

Wednesday, March 09, 2022

WOTC - Safe entry ambassadors

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 82% of the respondents prefer the govt to create useful jobs in other sectors for retrenched workers and school leavers, instead of using them as safe entry ambassadors.

Tuesday, March 08, 2022

WOTC - Safe entry recording

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 68% of the respondents said that we should contact safe entry recording to enable contact tracing to stop the transmission of the virus.

Monday, March 07, 2022

WOTC - America freeze the assets of Afghanistan

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 80% of the respondents said that America is stealing the assets of the people of Afghanistan, most of whom are poor.

Sunday, March 06, 2022

WOTC - Calls from MOH

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 63% of the respondents said that they will answer calls that are purported to come from MOH and be vigilant to check for scammers.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2549

Saturday, March 05, 2022

WOTC - Ukraine crisis

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 78% of the respondents said that Russia has a legitimate concern about Ukraine joining NATO as it will allow the NATO countries to place their missiles close to the Russian border.

Friday, March 04, 2022

Company seal - an outdated practice


I sold my unit in midview city. The lawyer asked me to sign a document with a company seal.


I did not use the company seal for more than ten years. Indeed, this is the first time that I am using the company seal.

Surely there is a better way to executive the transfer of the property than to use the company seal? Why use an outdated process that started a few centuries ago?

I was also asked to bring the "company chop". The company does not register the chop. It is required for many documents, including applications to government agencies and business entities. Anybody can pay $5 to make a company chop of another company.

Singapore is still continuing with outdated and inefficient processes.

WOTC - Social gambling

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 63% of the respondents said that social gambling should not be legalized in Singapore, as it will encourage gambling.

Thursday, March 03, 2022

WOTC - Workers' Party

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 60% of the respondents said that Pritam Singh will remain as leader of the Workers' Party.

Wednesday, March 02, 2022

WOTC - GST increase

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 69% of the respondents expect the govt to increase GST to 9% in 2022.

Note - the govt has announced that GST will increase to 8% in 2023 and 9% in 2024.

Monday, February 28, 2022

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. What are your views about Putin regarding Ukraine crisis.

2. What are your views about NATO open door policy.
3. What are your views about President Zelensky of Ukraine

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Democracy in China

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 73% of the respondents said that China has a better system of democracy. 27% consider China to be authoritarian.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

WOTC - Opposition parties

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 87% of the respondents said that we need opposition parties to check the ruling party.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

WOTC - Lying to the COP

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 81% of the respondents said that the two WP MPs (Pritam and Faisal) did not tell a lie. The recommendation of the COP was politically motivated.

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues


1. Russia invades Ukraine
2. How to solve the Ukraine crisis?
3. Is America responsible for causing the Ukraine crisis?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Friday, February 25, 2022

WOTC - MRT should be wheelchair friendly

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 75% of the respondents said that the MRT system must be made wheelchair friendly. They do not mind having to pay higher fares to achieve this goal.


https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2540

Thursday, February 24, 2022

WOTC - Mandatory isolation for travelers

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64% of the respondents said that it is safe to remove isolation for incoming travelers who are tested negative on arrival.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 86% of the respondents said that it is acceptable for China to send 1 million Uyghurs for vocational training to give them skills to get a job and earn a livelihood.


https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2537

WOTC - Wearing of mask

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 60% of the respondents said that it is time to allow the mask to be removed except for crowded places and public transport.

The other 40% want the wearing of mask to be mandatory for the immediate future.

Review of Door Dash (DASH)

 I have made a review of Door Dash (DASH).

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

WOTC - Vocational training for Uyghurs

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 86% of the respondents said that it is acceptable for China to send 1 million Uyghurs for vocational training to give them skills to get a job and earn a livelihood.

Review of Barrick Gold (GOLD)

 I made a review of Barrick Gold, a gold mining stock.

Monday, February 21, 2022

China - Friend of Foe, remarks by Vince Cable

 I make a summary of the interesting remarks by Vince Cable, former British minister, on his views of China.

WOTC - How China pass laws

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 69% of the respondents agree that China has a consultative process to pass laws. 10% disagree. The others are neutral.

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